To all the young Millenials about to watch M*A*S*H for the first time, do not be turned off by Max Klinger being a guy in a dress.
For those of you unaware, the character tries several schemes to get out of the army on the grounds of being mentally unfit for service, most notably being a man who wears a dress, which no one buys. It’s played off as a joke but everyone loves him and treats him very respectfully unless it’s a character you’re not supposed to sympathise with.
You might want to call bull on the fact that they’re getting a cheap joke at a man in a dress. But, this man in a dress had a gender identity crisis ON SCREEN (although they couldn’t call it that) and also helped pave the way to allow transgender people into the armed forces.
No, seriously. A congressman who was a fan of the show brought up how Max Klinger cross dressing never was an issue at this M*A*S*H unit and it allowed transgender people to serve in the armed forces!
I’m a trans(masc) millenial and the biggest thing I feel was made fun of was how much some people were bothered by Klinger’s clothes, not the fact that he’s wearing them.
Klinger learns a lot about fashion and sewing and seems to develop a genuine passion for it over time.
There’s even one time when he develops a psychosomantic (spelling?) rash during a short time when he has to wear his uniform. Even after it is clear that he’s not gonna get to go home by wearing dresses, he continues – suggesting either a persistent act of defiance to make him feel better, or a real appreciation of the clothes… or both!
He’s clearly coded as straight, is accepted by his peers, and his character arc and development is barely focused on his clothes (rather it focuses on what he wants to do with his life; his dream future).
For a show made in the 70’s depicting the 50’s, M*A*S*H was a show before its time – with feminist messages and anti-war messages, as well as speking out against homophobia and racism – and Klinger was a groundbreaking character.
This is especially true, I think, if you watch the episodes sans the laugh track. Without the canned laughter, Klinger’s costuming comes off as especially sincere.
Klinger is a good man and a great character and everyone in the camp respects him (and if they don’t, it’s not because of his attire).
The discovery that you can select “English Without Laugh Track” as an audio track has made the DVDs wonderful.
YOU CAN TURN OFF THE LAFF TRACK?? YES PLEASE!!
Klinger is the best!
When I was a little girl I legit loved Klinger and his gorgeous dresses and skirts, and nothing about him seemed strange or abnormal to me; I understood that he’d wanted a section 8 initially but it also seemed really clear to me that in that process he’d found himself, in whatever sense was important to him, and everyone accepted him in the unit. To me growing up in a completely queerphobic household/culture, he was a figure of great love and joy and positivity, and I embraced him unquestioningly and gratefully.
Last week, Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi said men who dress flamboyantly or cross-dress are “asking” to be assaulted. The good people of Wyoming responded with a mass bar crawl and public display of solidarity – wearing tutus.
“Honestly, this is what we do in Wyoming. Straight men all over the state are going to be joining their LGBTQ siblings and wearing tutus, buying their queer friends drinks and having a great time,” Equality Wyoming’s Sara Burlingame wrote. “It is a great time to be in the Equality State where we talk out differences and show up for each other — with or without tutus.” […]
“We always say that in Wyoming you can be just about anything you want to be, as long as you don’t push it in somebody’s face,” Enzi told students from Greybull High School and Middle School. “I know a guy who wears a tutu and goes to bars on Friday night and is always surprised that he gets in fights. Well, he kind of asks for it. That’s the way that he winds up with that kind of problem.”
The senator later apologized for his choice of words on Tuesday.
“I regret a poor choice of words during part of my presentation,” he said. “None of us is infallible and I apologize to anyone who has taken offense. No offense was intended. Quite the opposite in fact, and so I ask for your understanding as well.”
Wyoming! Incredible response to ignorance. I love this. (via LGBTQ Nation)
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